Thousands brave Minnesota's freezing temps for ice-fishing contest

BRAINERD, Minn. -- Call them the truly
fishing faithful: 11,000 spreading across Hole in the Day Bay, braving wind
chills of about 20 below zero, competing for prizes in an ice-fishing extravaganza for
charity.

Here, hope springs eternal
from holes drilled through as much as two feet of ice. Matt Erickson's been
trying for years to catch his first fish.

Competitors drilled through as much as two feet of ice.

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"You know, you come
out. You brave it. Come out one day, stay inside for three days," said
Erickson.

Lesson one: cold weather
fishing fashion is all about hats of all sizes and species, said Aaron Krepel,
who wears a coyote hat to keep warm.

Joe Goble, a machinist
from the local area, knew enough to bring out his Barcalounger.

"You just tuck back
and the wind will kind of go around you," said Goble.

When someone actually
caught a fish, it was rushed to the weighing tent because the biggest fish
wins.

Joe Goble brought along his Barcalounger.

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In the end, avid fisherman
Art Karsky was the big winner with a 4.73-pound walleye caught just seven minutes
before the contest ended.

The grand prize: a brand-new pickup.

Karsky doesn't mind if people laugh at him for fishing out in the cold.

"They can laugh all
day, I got a new truck," said Karsky.

For the losers, there's
always next year and a belief in that old fishing saying about patience: good things come to those who bait.